Technical Standards
The provision of safe anesthesia services requires that Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) demonstrate cognitive, technical, motor, communication, and behavioral skills. Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists (SRNAs) must possess the physical and emotional endurance and resilience to adapt to a demanding graduate program that mimics practice as a CRNA. Successful progression through the DNP-NA program requires the following skills necessary for the practice of nurse anesthesiology:
Observation
SRNAs must be able to:
- Have sufficient capacity to make observations, interpret them, and effectively respond to situations.
- Utilize auditory perception, visual perception, and somatic abilities to observe and accurately acquire patient information to develop a treatment plan.
- Process information through observation and respond accordingly in a manner that is consistent, rapid, accurate, and free of bias.
Communication Skills
SRNAs must be able to:
- Communicate effectively, accurately, and sensitive with students, faculty, patients, and all members of the healthcare team.
- Demonstrate oral and written communication proficiency.
- Demonstrate interpersonal skills necessary to develop rapport and positive relationships with patients.
- Care for and communicate with patients and providers from a variety of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds across the lifespan.
Motor/Tactile Function
SRNAs must be able to:
- Elicit information from patients for physical examination via inspection, palpation, auscultation, percussion, and other diagnostic techniques or their functional equivalents.
- Execute precise and timely motor movements required to reasonably provide general and emergency anesthetic care to patients. This requires the coordination of both gross and fine motor movements for patient assessment, vascular access, insertion of invasive monitoring, airway management, and administration of regional anesthesia.
- Demonstrate physical stamina sufficient for the completion of the rigorous DNP–NA plan of study, including clinical and didactic experiences which may include prolonged periods of sitting or standing, or may require the need to more rapidly from one location to another.
Cognitive Skills
SRNAs must be able to:
- Develop and refine critical thinking & problem-solving skills required for the comprehension, application, integration, analysis, and synthesis of knowledge.
- SRNAs must also incorporate, retain, and recall new and pertinent information to maintain the safety and security of patients.
- Synthesize information to develop and defend conclusions regarding observations and outcomes.
- Learn through a variety of modalities including but not limited to: classroom instruction; small group, team, and collaborative activities; individual study; presentation of reports; simulations; computer technology.
Professionalism
SRNAs must be able to:
- Possess the physical and emotional health required for the application of their abilities, skills, and sound judgment.
- Function effectively under physically taxing workloads and under stress, while displaying flexibility and adapting to ever-changing environments.
- Possess the attitudes and behaviors required for professional practice, including compassion, honesty, integrity, empathy, dependability, respect for others, and the ability to work under stress.
- Maintain effective, mature, sensitive, and ethically appropriate relationships under all circumstances.
- Self-assess their ability to function at the level necessary to provide effective, safe anesthetic care and should obtain professional assistance if identified impairments compromise patient care and safety.
